The FEARs of Haruhi Suzumiya
by Anime Borat
Summary: It started as a simple mystery hunt and surprise visit to a friend. It became a descent into horror that threatens the fabric of reality.
1. Interval 1 : Genesis

**The FEARs of Haruhi Suzumiya**

_A/N: Hello, readers. I'm Anime Borat. This is a little weird idea I have that is still taking place a few months ago and which I've acted upon. Especially now in the wake of FEAR 3(F3AR), I've intended to make a this weird little crossover. This is also my first serious fic involving Haruhi Suzumiya. Special thanks to JonBob0008(the author of Meet the Suzumiyas) and from superstarultra(_You Got Haruhirolled_) for some advice they gave me along the way. Also, recommendations for reading: The Osaka at Threshold, A Closed, Dead Space(_ by superstarultra_), Broken Mosaics by nukerjsr , The Cries of Haruhi Suzumiya(Kamigoroshi and Tsukuribanashi) by Thnikkafan_ _and The God I Once Knew by The Hidden Lostar. Here, I'm pleased to present to you my thirteenth fic, The FEARs of Haruhi Suzumiya. Please read, review and suggest. Furthermore, Haruhi Suzumiya is the property of__ Nagaru Tanigawa and FEAR belongs to Monolith Productions. No copyright infringement intended_.

* * *

><p><strong>Interval 1 - Genesis<strong>

The clouds were gray over the airport. In the sky Continental Airlines 747 descended gracefully over the runway. A woman looked through the window of her seat. The skies seemed to declare the arrival of an impending storm. The plane glided smoothly until it stopped, the heavy bumps of its landing gear bouncing slightly. From her window she saw the airport's perimeter fence. Having finished, the pilot announced to them they have arrived at their destination and to pick up their luggage on the way out, finishing with the complement of a nice trip. For the woman, her trip was anything but nice. The seat belt came off and door came open. She stood up and took her belongings and walked briskly to the the open door that lead to the jet bridge.

In her unhurried pace walked through the crowd of passengers. Those who looked closely would find her as a Caucasian with average, albeit beautiful, appearance with dark brown hair and green eyes. Her age judged to be between late twenties to early thirties. She seemed pleasant enough, wearing a smile that said "hello world." From a distance she seemed like just another face on the crowd. She then went through the long lines of security, passing through a metal detector while her luggage underwent x-ray inspection, she would later retrieve it from Customs. It beeped loudly and the female guard asked her step out. She stepped unloaded her personal effects while she submitted to a body inspection. Seeing that her items are harmless, she was finally let through with a polite apology for the inconvenience. She replied in passable Japanese and judging from her accent, she seemed like an American. The first part of her entry had been completed, the second part was very critical, which would most certainly spell the difference between success and failure - and ultimately life and death.

The middle-aged immigration official was astute, polite. He exhibited neither the boorish and obnoxious attitude that most Japanese males would sometime reputedly display towards members of the opposite sex, a problem that has recent occurrence as of late, nor the extreme politeness that they too have been sadly stereotyped with. Nor did he displayed the face of the average bureaucrat, bored, callous individuals stuck in dead-end positions, who countered their own boredom by slamming rubber stamps on defenseless papers, deliberately flaunting regulations as an excuse for delays, and generally being an officious ass. She had encountered such kinds before all the time, one time she gave one an uppercut to the face. He just radiated easy-going good cheer with a hint of professionalism, which seemed a bit suspicious. "First time in Japan?" he asked her in English as he checked her passport.

"Yes," she replied.

"So you have no other luggage?"

"That is so."

"I see. How long do you intend to stay here?"

"As long as I have to. I have some affairs that need to attended here, friends to meet and deadlines to accomplish." The computer beeped and her face registered along with all the necessary personal information from her. It was certified that she can enter. He handed her back her passport.

"Okay, welcome to Japan, Miss...?"

"Halliger. Constance Halliger."

"Well, Miss Halliger, have a nice day."

"Thank you, sir." She displayed a bland face that said nothing then but inwardly she mentally sighed with relief. Phase one of her entry had been complete. It had been the most weighty part of her entry was over. After lining up at customs, she got her luggage; she had nothing to hide, and breezed through the airport lobby to a bench at a corner where she sat there. With patience she carefully scanned everything around to see her waiting party. She picked up a magazine from her bag and began reading it. This allowed her to watch for any deviation from the scene around her. Hundreds of people streamed through the entrance of the airport, with the security checkpoints serving as the only bottlenecks and a lot more sweep through the airport like specters and shadows moving fast to some unknown, a phantom destination for an ambiguous purpose; it's a never-ending cycle for most of them, which seemed very appropriate, she thought. They don't know nor care whether they get to their stop and finish their business, then take the trip home, then get back again.

She checked her watch. It was three minutes to four PM. She was ahead of schedule but it was tense. She then covertly scanned again, to see if the welcoming committee, anyone of them, has arrived. It was imperative that her contacts arrive at the right time lest her pursuers are here already, whether they are watching her at the moment or that she slipped under their noses was another matter. She had to get rid of her papers and her disguise, which made it possible to slip in undetected so far but she needed to do it when they arrived. At her far right, a woman appeared at the bar. She sat on the counter and ordered a coffee. Halliger's eyes peering above the magazine, she watched the woman as she had been instructed to in advance. The woman then sipped her coffee, the very act confirmed to Halliger it was her contact. Then came the tricky part, the subtle gestures that can confirm or disavow her arrival.

The woman sat at her general direction. Halliger then shifted the luggage on her feet slightly to the left. That told her that nothing followed her or watched her, she was safe. Then the woman stood up and got walking. Halliger got up exactly forty-five seconds later. Walking, their paths were far apart, moving parallel to each other until their paths converge at the middle of enormous lobby. They both met at another bench but not sitting there. She had her back to the woman.

"It's nice to see the city of Kobe," Halliger said aloud to no one in particular- except for the woman, which confirmed that she was clean, not captured and turn by her antagonists If she did, she would have given a different phrase.

Her answer in turn was a beeping cellphone. That told Halliger it _was_ really her contact. The woman picked up the phone and made a call in hurried Japanese.

Then the talking began.

"It's good to know that you've made it, Miss Halliger." She smiled.

"You not so bad yourself, Naomi."

"How's the weather back home?"

"Crappy, you couldn't get a day without rain at this time of the year." It sounded like a casual conversation that was struck with an acquaintance but both women knew each other a few months before.

* * *

><p>She was recovering in a ward room at Walter Reed. She remembered getting shot... by that bitch! The first thing she shouted as she woke was the name of Becket, then Keegan, then the rest of the team's, she tried to break out of the restraints but she was too weak to do so and she collapse back to the wheeling gurney. She had convalesced for six months. During that time, she debriefed by numerous agencies about the incident at Fairport, the debriefers were a little too pushy sometimes but there was one that made her snap. It was a man from the Department of Homeland Security, the man who briefed them on the mission in that cold Pentagon briefing room, about Fairport and Armacham. He told them that it was a simple extraction mission. Adding insult to injury, he congratulated her on a job well done, told her about how the damage in the city should be attributed to the nuclear explosion, how her squad should have officially died, and whatever bureaucratic bullshit 'needed' to stabilize the situation, last of which when she asked him what they will do the data they gathered from Snake Fist. Liar! Tell that to people who died there! she thought with rage. The Homeland Security man earned a satisfyingly hard uppercut to the face. Later that night, after the Homeland Security man fled, she was approached by a boy who wore a uniform of some high school from another country, nationality unknown.<p>

"Hello, Lieutenant," he greeted politely.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked with quiet, unconcealed hostility. "You don't look like a doctor or a suit. What are you here for?"

"I'm interested to hear about the latest developments around Fairport, Washington. Mind if we talk about it a little bit?"

She raised her eyebrows in skepticism. "Are you some kind of reporter? If you are, I'm not saying anything. What happened there is literally hell on earth. And you won't believe the shit that I saw there!"

"I see. No normal human being would deny that. Would you deny that you know Armacham? Alma Wade? Or Project Origin? Replica forces-"

She was surprised to hear all of that from him. "Whoa Whoa! Hold it... How'd the hell you know all that?" She could believe her ears when she mentioned all of it. How the hell did that kid know? "What's the meaning of this?"

"The Fairport fiasco means a lot to us as well as your government. We sensed something cataclysmic is afoot and that it could be a paradigm for something potentially dangerous."

"You didn't answer my first question."

"Oh," he apologized politely, "forgive my lapse on the inquiry. I belong to a special agency. Let's say we have resources that can obtain any information we needed about any possible development of significant interest to us."

The boy seemed rather mature and concise when she talked to him. It was suspicious."What? What are you? MSS? NIS? I'm no dummy, you know." She referred to China's Ministry of State Security and the Korean National Intelligence Service respectively. She read articles about them in _Time_ magazine and the US military newspaper _Stars and Stripes_.

"We profess ties to no government or organization. But we do have a special prerogative to such matters." Then his smile changed into an expression of urgency. "We can't discuss this any further. If we are to discuss this in any detail, you must leave this place."

"What... you mean escape...?"

"Affirmative. What you saw is very important to us as it is to your government and Armacham. They want to cover up any witness that have seen the event if they can. Your government won't disclose it to the public, the ramifications of such exposure would cause widespread panic all across the country so your arguments will go no where, at least until they could come up with a concrete solution. However, Armacham is not above in its attempts to stabilize the situation through other means, like silencing witnesses."

"You're telling me that my life is in danger?"

"We need you to survive."

"What's so important is it to you?"

"There are things that could spell danger to us," he replied cryptically. He began to walk away to the door.

"Wait, don't I have a choice?" she asked him.

He turned around and smiled. "Just sit tight. We'll get you out of here. It won't take long." He left the room

The next night. She woke to find herself being taken out of the hospital. Doctors and nurses were all over her as she was wheeled through the hallway. She couldn't remember much. They were blurry, hazy figures due to the bright lights and she could barely distinguish from the cacophony of sounds flying everywhere. One thing that she immediately feared was Alma. She had dreams, horrible dreams. Nightmares. Nightmares such seeing Alma at the foot of her bed, of seeing Becket and Keegan screaming in agony, of replaying the horrific events all over when she sleeps, of the hideous things she witnessed at Fairport. Fear gripped her every time she slept. She would sometimes wake up screaming in cold sweat, prompting the attendants to come to her. That played in greater intensity when she was escaped, at the helicopter she thought she saw Alma riding with them. She closed her eyes so hard that she thought they bleed.

* * *

><p>"Why don't we get going, Miss Halliger?" The woman asked her. "Time is short." That reminded them of what they have to do.<p>

"I see," Halliger replied. "business can't wait, is it."

"Of course." The woman slipped her cellphone back in her coat pocket. They proceeded to walk together. Moving unhurried, they checked through a security desk and continued into a parking lot. They hopped in a white sedan. A man with spiky hair greeted her.

"It's good to see that you made it through, Lt. Stokes," he said cheerily. "It seems your reputation precedes you."

"I heard that one before," she replied evenly.

The woman sat on the front passenger sat. She face the driver. "Step on it," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied and started the car. It moved out of the parking lot. Ten seconds later, another one, their security tail, moved out of the curb near a shop and followed the other car to secure its rear. Then a third one positioned itself in front of the other car and now began the procession to Nishinomiya.

* * *

><p><em>Two days ago...<em>

I, Kyon, was taking the long walk home after another of Haruhi's wild schemes. This time, it was investigating an abandoned village in the woods near Nishinomiya, which had a reputation of being haunted by ghosts. It had been a fruitless, frustrating escapade. Going around the houses of the village with a camera and a digital voice recorder was frustrating as counting rice grains from a pot; no doubt influenced by those Silent Hill and Fatal Frame games she bought recently.

It was a bad day for me, tripping over sagging floors, having close calls with broken glass, rusting roofs, decaying ceilings with bits and pieces falling on my head as well as Haruhi's eccentric, often maddening, antics. One time she did was one she popped her head through the window with the ever-present camera in hand, nearly giving me a heart attack. Then again when she groped Mikuru, whose torment already consisted of wearing a horridly cutesy white-and-pink dress all along the way, enduring stares from people they passed by and the Brigade pandering her to different people as she promoted the SOS Brigade. That also tormented me as well when I heard a few snickers and not-so-good comments behind me. It had been a pain for most of the afternoon and he was glad that it's over.

I looked at the sky and noted its leaden color. Not good. I have to get home before I get soaking wet. It would be a bitch to go home looking like a castaway of a jet plane carrying air mail like Tom Hanks but I wasn't in the mood for running either so I just quicken my pace, tightening my coat against the lashing winds. It seems the weather is getting hectic today. I wonder if it's Haruhi getting frustrated from not finding a ghost. I shuddered at that thought and hoped that Haruhi doesn't make one come true. Her abilities to alter reality I witnessed all too many times, some of which nearly destroyed the world, at least the one I knew. The world we knew. I checked my watch. The LCD screen registered 5:15. I sighed in frustration. I was late.

Nightfall came by the time I entered I was a few feet near my house. The cold seemed to assail me at all sides and I tugged my coat tighter. I climbed up the steps and knocked on the door.

"Come in," piped the cheery voice of his sister. The door opened and Imouto beamed happily, glad to see that I had arrived home safe and sound. I closed the door behind me, took off my shoes and made a brief trek to leaving room and finally to the sofa where I sank myself in comfort, dumping my bag to the side. It felt so good just to seat in the sofa in the comfort of my home after that backbreaking wild goose chase for ghosts which turned up nothing at all. Nothing at all...

"Hey, Kyon!" My sister shouted and that jolted me to my feet. She ran into the living room carrying the cordless phone."Mom's on the phone!" I got up slowly, however reluctant my body may be, and took the phone.

I answered it, "Hello, Mom?"

"Hi, Kyon," she cheery voice chimed, "it's great that you're home. Listen, I'm with your dad right now in his medical check-up so we can't be home for dinner. There's food in the fridge and pantry if you want to eat. Will it be alright?"

"Yeah, no problem at all," Kyon said with a smile.

"Thanks, honey and take care of your sister, bye."

"Bye, mom." She hung up. I replaced the receiver back to its place. My dad had a benign tumor that needed some checkups and my mom had to be at his side but that was okay. Right now, there's Imouto, Shamisen and the house to care of and everything else about the world can take some rest for now. At least, I'm entitled to a breather. I returned to the couch for a few seconds, letting out my breath.

Then my cellphone rang. I groaned and sank my face in the palm of my hand. Haruhi again. She's probably calling me for another adventure. Reluctantly, I dug it out of my pocket and saw who called. It was a text message from Koizumi.

He looked at and it read:

_We have a matter need attending. Please come tomorrow. Thank You. Koizumi._

I turned off my cellphone. The message read like a telegram but its message is no less clear. Haruhi had caused something again but they're not gonna tell me yet. Before it would annoy me about why they have to hold back until the eleventh hour. It still annoyed now but why spoil the surprise? I'm sure Itsuki knows what he's doing. I never knew a time when what he told was too late. But then again, I'd be dead by the time he reached me over something.

And if he was calling me over it, Mikuru's and Yuki's are not far behind. I got up and went to the refrigerator to see what we have. Imouto and Shamisen immediately rushed in and took over, grabbing the remote to watch TV. I entered the kitchen to and walked towards the refrigerator. I opened and peered inside to see what we have. There's isn't much in the refrigerator for me to make since I'm a lazy cook when it comes to fresh food, usually a bit sloppy here and there. Man, I might need to learn how be not a kitchen litter bug. I went to the pantry to see what else we have. There's a lot of prepackaged food in it. I turned around and called my sister, "Imouto, I'm gonna make dinner. What do you want? We have curry, instant miso soup and-"

"Curry!" She cut me off excitedly. "I want curry, Kyon onee-chan!"

Instant curry it is. Then I selected my own dinner, instant rice porridge with tuna. I don't know why but I developed a taste for instant rice porridge with anything over time. Perhaps it was because of the epilogue of the events last December, hard to tell. Too bad Imouto didn't share that same taste and it'd be nice for her to get off curry once in a while. I prepared the curry first, taking it out of its box and taking out a pan. I put the curry pouch in it and poured some water- and I made sure I didn't open the pouch by mistake. Then I placed it in a range and left it to boil a while. I then made my tuna-rice porridge, putting mine on microwave. I followed instruction as usual and within a few seconds it's now in the oven. Then I made rice, which isn't hard to do. While the rice cooked, my cellphone rang again. I checked the caller.

It was Asahina-san. Heretical as I may sound, I likened her to a muse. I always found her sweet demeanor a pleasant and relieving contrast to Haruhi's rambunctiousness. It was her misfortune, and mine, to be her "moe" mascot of the SOS Brigade, a club I inadvertently started during Tanabata three years ago, gave her the future club's "mission", to find aliens, espers and time travelers as well as unraveling the mysteries of the world. Well... no harm in answering the call.

"Hello?" I asked, my eyes kept watch of the cooking rice.

"Kyon-kun, is that you?" Mikuru asked. It felt nice to hear her voice but her voice feels... different.

"Yes, it's me."

"Kyon-kun, something strange is coming up. We have to meet in the clubroom tomorrow-" Then there was some static on the other end. I almost dropped the phone from the suddenness of the static. "Kyon-kun, are you there?" She asked worriedly.

"Ugh, I'm here," I immediately replied.

"Kyon-kun, listen-" -more static- "you have to-"

The line was cut off. I barely had the strength to hold the phone. My hands trembled and relaxed on my chair. What was so urgent that Mikuru was trying to say? What was going on at the other end? I hope she calls back. It could a technical error for all I know, maybe a stretched-out line or a low battery-

The rice began to froth at the lid of the pot. I quickly stood up and lowered the heat. I picked up a paper towel and wiped the rice-water froth from the lid, careful not to burn my hands. I disposed of the towel and was thankful the rice didn't burn. I wanted to get her message and I wanted to know it. I felt a crawling sensation on my spine, a feeling which seemed to come from an abysmal unknown which I cannot fathom.

I was about to dial her number when a third call came in. I checked who it was, only to find that it was Nagato. What could it be now? Hopefully not the same disturbing dispatches I received from Koizumi and Asahina-san. I click the phone to answer, "Hello?"

Then came her clipped voice, "Kyon. Are you up tonight?"

I paused for a while, managing a "Yeah" after that.

"I need you to sleep at precisely nine PM. There is a situation that needs handling but not at this point."

"What...?" I can't believe my ears. "What's wrong?"

"It is imperative that you follow my instructions. The situation is an anomaly that must not be disturbed tonight. Under the orders of the Integrated Data Sentient Entity I cannot elaborate further. Good night."

It seemed like glacier decided to take a nap near my house. I sat back on my chair, looking back to the rice I'm cooking to be sure I didn't burn it. I pondered at their communiqué, which rather irregular in their tone and content. First from Koizumi, his brief message said it would discussed tomorrow. Second, Mikuru. I could not hear what she has to say due to the static. That reminded me that I have to call her back.

However, I must attend to what I'm doing right now first so to make a mundane passage short, I prepared dinner for Imouto and myself a few minutes later. As I absently stirred my tuna-rice porridge, redialed Mikuru's number and waited her her response. After a hum for a few seconds, nothing. I did it again and a third time. No answer. I suppressed a mild apprehension about why she didn't answer. I turned to the number of her apartment. I dialed the number and waited for a while, absently listening to the dial tone.

It was her messenger. Her voice announced, "Oh hello. You've reached Mikuru Asahina. Please leave a message." Her cute voice briefly mesmerized me and made me almost forget my purpose of inquiry.

I made my message. "Ah, Asahina-san. You told me you wanted to tell me something. I'm sorry you couldn't reach due to some technical problems. Please call me." _Hopefully if they _are_ technical problems_. I gently laid the phone down to its place. I settled down with Imouto and ate my dinner.

* * *

><p>I went to bed, just as Yuki told me to. I looked at the clock and it showed 8:55, five minutes before the appointed hour. I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes. Sleep is usually relief after another at school and a rough afternoon at the clubroom. For this night, however, this was not the case. The unsettling feeling I had tonight kept me from relaxing. The first thing that came to my mind was Ryoko Asakura, that sweet little girl who tried to kill me to see how Haruhi would react, to test the emotion's of a god, Yuki's metaphysical cohort who went beyond the stated directives of her masters to see an event that she could observe, directives that I believe were sanctioned to be broken.I saw her giggling happily with a knife in hand, charging at my direction. Then I found myself lying on the floor while she smiled happily with her blood-red knife, her blue eyes full of glee.<p>

I opened my eyes as I recalled her voice. My eyes stared back to the clock. It registered 9:01. Recalling her instructions, I instantly snapped my eyes shut and laid myself down again. I did not doubt Yuki's word but I hope that it wasn't true. There's a spark of curiosity in me that tells me to stay and watch the pretty lights when they come but I'm not going to stick my neck out if it turns out to be true. I huddled in my covers, forcing myself to sleep. When I finally did, things weren't so pretty.

I was moving at the speed of light, passing hundreds of warped strobes of multicolored orbs, which reminded me of the _Matrix_ films. Then everything stopped and darkened to pitch black. There was a light and I sound. I turned my head and saw a TV with static on the screen. The buzzing sound of the TV echoed unearthly throughout the room. Staring at the tube, I wanted to run away but to where? Wherever I look around, everything around me is inky black and I fear about what prowls in the darkness. I cannot think quickly as my mind is as blank as the space I'm in. It seemed like an eternity when I slowly turned around to face the TV. I did not want to touch it for obvious reasons but I seemed drawn to it... somehow it beckoned me to touch it, to manipulate its controls. I do not know what to fear, the darkness and its hidden terrors or the TV's surprises?

I took my chances and turned the knob that changes channels. The static stopped and it was replaced numbers flashing one by one, accompanied with a brief chime that might have come from a wide grocery store's paging system or an elevator, then a dial tone. Then a woman's voice broadcast the flashing numbers in a matter-of-factly manner, "Five. Five. Seven. Two. One."

My ears where suddenly assailed with high-pitched static, quickly followed by a soul-stopping scream. Instantly, my mind and body was racked with pain. My ears filled with static and I feel I was pierced with billions of needles all over my body. I screamed but I could not hear my voice. Then I heard my own scream a few seconds later, coming back to me in full force- so powerful that I was deafened by it. Suddenly, images flooded my mind. Images of a closed space that is red as an inferno, of a montage of my friends and the events of the SOS Brigade played before me at breakneck speed. Then some more images, hazy and nightmarish. A brief glimpse of a surgery room, then one of the city torn by demonic-looking Celestials, I saw someone whose face is obscured by bad lighting, of papers that look so formal that they might have been files from a secret safe, one with Itsuki's photo on one corner and that of another individual I know not, and a shaking light bulb. Then everything went black.

My scream echoed back at me and I was sprawling in front of the TV, paralyzed and exhausted. The space was filled with a violent wind, and extremely loud static from the TV and howling mixed together. I wanted to move but I can't, my vision began to distort horribly like a monitor with bad reception. I felt I was gonna loose my mind. Then came the woman's voice again. "One."

I jolted out of bed of my in a few seconds. I woke up and saw my clock. It was 4:59 AM. I looked around my room. I pinched my arm to see If I'm not dreaming. I saw that I'm no longer dreaming. I sat upright in bed, my body numb and my mind perplexed and disturbed by my vision. I sat there immobile, trying to make sense of my dream. All those swirling images... what do they mean? How do my friends figure in it? Haruhi may have done this, what provoked her? I cannot delve deeper into my dream since I can't find my answers there. I have to go to school, to the clubroom.

It was 5:30 by the time I've got off my brooding and hurried up to my daily morning routine.

* * *

><p>On brisk walk to school, the day was sunny with a few puffy white clouds. A light breeze blew through me and the scene is so lighthearted that I whistled a tune. I forgot what it is but it must have been...<em> Harehareyukai<em>? Well, whatever it's named made the walk faster and more enjoyable. I was in school and up the classroom. I took my seat and noticed Haruhi sitting moodily in her chair and facing the open window, her head resting in her arms.

"Good morning, Haruhi," I greeted cheerily for some dumb reason.

"Oh hi, Kyon," she replied with her face in a pouting expression. "Yesterday turned up nothing. Damn, if only ghost were real."

I stifled myself from remarking "Thank God they aren't" and let Haruhi say what she had to say for a while, about how she had prepared for it and all our well-wasted afternoon hours. I then said, "Well, the reason we didn't find any ghost is... they don't actually exist."

Haruhi slowly turned her head at me. "Kyon, why would people keep saying they're real? They must be!"

I sat down beside her. "Well, I could say that it's a superstition. Most of those things have been debunked by now."

That's when Haruhi suddenly stood up and crossed her arms. She gave me a look that was piqued by my rationalization. She said angrily, "Kyon! Most of those superstitions have been debunked but the belief of ghosts has remained stronger than ever. People continue to believe year after year and most people want proof of it."

Then, I replied with something I remembered from social studies class, "Couldn't it be because such beliefs are passed down from generation to generation? Think about it, Haruhi. We inherit these beliefs from our ancestors, vestiges from a time when they barely understood the workings of the natural world around them. They believe that these hidden forces move about around them, alternately seemingly aloof and at the same time can intervene in our lives both directly and indirectly. That belief also evolved with society's development, which gave forth the rise of gods and mythology. Ghost in particular came from the worship of ancestor spirits, stemming from our belief in in the afterlife." Much of Itsuki's way of explaining things must be rubbing of on me.

Then Haruhi countered me in a bluster, "But what about evidence of their existence? It's said that presence of a ghost can be felt by anyone near a haunted location. How about the phenomena of white noise, EVP, EMF and photography? They've been caught on them so they must be real and their must an afterlife."

I adjusted myself a bit on the chair. I gave back my own explanation, "It could stem from a number of causes. One could be psychology when it comes to haunted locations, people tend to be uncomfortable in a place they're not sure looks safe. And the EVP, EMF and photography can be caused by some quirks in technology or some anomalies in the environment and with the advent of Photoshop, most of them would be frauds."

"And why does anyone believe in an afterlife?" Haruhi asked impatiently.

I was taken aback by her question, something that really struck at the core. To tell you the truth, I don't exactly believe in ghost even as we spoke but I do believe in the existence of data lifeforms, the things Nagato and Koizumi introduced to me when we rescued a Computer Club president from a closed space. Primitive beings that cannot evolve because they can no longer process new data. Besides the ones that infected the dogs and giant cricket, I honestly cannot know what else they can do or how are they out there. Needless to say, I answered her question, though with reluctance stemming from being caught off-guard by her, "Well... they want to know if there's something out there beyond death. They want to know if something's out there."

We remained silent for a while. Haruhi then said, "Yeah, they gotta exist." She then sighed with frustration, resting her head back in her arms. "If only I had an esper, we could see if they really exist." She then turned to me, "Get to the clubroom, don't be late."

I responded plainly, "Yes, ma'am."

I walked to the clubroom after our classes ended. There was something I'm unsure about. I noticed a slight shimmering at the corner of my eye and turned to it. It was gone. I shuddered a bit from that and I felt a tinge of relief when I entered the room. I noticed everybody's in the room. Itsuki was there, with a neutral smile on his face I might add. And there was Yuki reading a book in the corner. And of course, there was a Haruhi, God of the current universe and undisputed leader of the SOS Brigade. Someone's missing. I couldn't think who... Jesus Christ, Asahina-san... How could I forget... I suddenly remembered she tried to contact me last night but I couldn't get her massage due to the strange static. More over, I just just sent her a message to tell me to call back and I've never heard from her since. I mentally scolded myself for these lapses and hoped she was okay... but in the back of my mind said it would be contrary.

I took my seat near Koizumi. Haruhi took her seat. She asked us, "Has anybody seen Mikuru?"

None of us could provide a satisfactory answer, at least I did. For sure, Yuki and Itsuki have something to say about this. I could see it in their eyes. Haruhi turned to me. "Kyon, where's Mikuru?" She asked me that question with a tinge of suspicion, obviously not liking it if there's anything between us. "Well?"

Hmm, I have to say something so I began my tale, "Last night, Mikuru contacted me and said she has something important to say to me but the line was full of static. I sent a message via landline but she didn't answer me since this morning."

"What?" Haruhi was puzzled. She asked me with an accusatory tone, "Why did she call you?What's this message all about? Kyon!"

I had to explain myself, "She said it was urgent-" I raised my hands for emphasis- "but I couldn't get it because of the static. She didn't answer my message since this morning."

Then Itsuki stood up for me. "Kyon's right. Perhaps she had something that she needs to confide about and Kyon's simply the first person she turned to." Okay, I take that back. Look's like you made it worst for me, huh?

"Kyon...?" She glared at me displeased, her arms crossed.

"That's just that," I replied, "there's nothing between me and Mikuru. She simply phoned me."

"Speaking of something between them," he added, "don't you think it's strange that there's static in their talk."

Haruhi paused for a while, stroking a her chin with a finger. "You're right. Maybe we should visit her today..." She then sudden slapped the table in excitement, her eyes gleaming in discovery. "I got it! Mikuru might have disappeared last night. Wow! We've got finally something to do this afternoon. Today! The SOS Brigade will investigate the disappearance of Mikuru Asahina!"

I was about to voice the contrary, "But-"

She cut me off and turned to all of us. "Okay, everybody, pack up. We're going out in an hour." She then left the club room for reason, maybe to announce the Mikuru's 'disappearance'. Now that Haruhi has cleared the premises, I turned to Nagato and Koizumi for our little round table conference. Nagato and Koizumi seemed to change subtly from bunch of club underlings to their actual selves in a span of few seconds almost seamlessly, just like a steady flow of a stream and not an on/off switch.

I regarded Koizumi. "Seems things are a little strange today, I bet."

He smiled. "Well, I agree with you, Kyon. It struck me as too ordinary." Then that smile disappeared. Something grave must have got into his mind. "It happened to me do moment I woke up."

I was quite surprised by that. "What? How?"

Koizumi pointed his finger to the calender at the wall behind me. He said, "Take a look."

I turned around and saw it. I was stunned to see the year that was indicated: 2027. What the hell? I couldn't believe my eyes. I felt a huge weight had suddenly dragged me down. I could barely stand up, my legs trembled from weakness. I slowly sat down, my body slumping against the back. It was like a few feverish seconds before I noticed a hand offering me tea. I looked to see Koizumi looming, obscuring the light. I took the tea and drank it, I just didn't refuse it then. It was hot and good. I put the cup on the table.

Koizumi said, "I made the tea myself since she's gone."

I finally regained some of my strength. I stuttered, "2... 2- 2- 2027?"

"Yes, Kyon. We are in the year 2027," he answered.

* * *

><p>That's all for today, folks. It was supposedly before FEAR 3 but due to delays then, I have retconned the story to be take place at the same time as FEAR 3. Beautiful, eh? How does the SOS Brigade figure in this one? You'll have to wait for a while.<p> 


	2. Interval 2 - A School Day In The Future

**A/N**: Good day to you and advance Happy Halloween. This is Anime Borat. This is my second chapter of The FEARs of Haruhi Suzumiya. It took me a long time to make this chapter, mostly due to writer's block, other projects and personal problems. I want especially to thank _Akira the Whit_e, _Fallerullandeig_, _SlugSLinger_, _superstarultra_ for helping me out with ideas for what Japan is like during the events of FEAR. Put it simply it's quite hard, made more so for not writing this in quite a while. I've also decided to put at least some Itsuki-centric segments into the plot like the one right now. I'm currently watching the _Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya_ for further classified information. Thanks for dropping by, read and review :)

* * *

><p><strong>Interval 2 - A School Day In The Future<strong>

The staggering and literal change in time caught me off guard. I ought to get used to it already and not be surprised. But then again, nothing fails to surprise you more other than "I've seen everything" mentality. The hubris and indifference that went with it can never prepare you for something like that or even the mundane. Again, you might be even more astounded about how the surprise hits you rather than the surprise itself.

As my mind tried to reconcile with the new developments of the day, Itsuki moved a chair next me and sat down. He stroked his chin as though as he was thinking of what to say next. Apparently, behind that smile, even the new twists of events stunned him - as in today in seventeen years into the future.

He finally said, "You know, are probably the last member of the SOS Brigade to have the fog lifted away before you."

"Huh?" Itsuki, please don't use your usual metaphors.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. "During the entire day up to now, you thought you were having a typical day, from the moment you woke up, you went to school, attended class, and reported to the club room. That's why you didn't notice the gradual change in timeline until I pointed it out to you."

It makes sense.

I now thought of shooting him a question. "How was your wake-up today then?"

He took a chair and sat across from me. He sighed and a heavy grave frown appeared on his face. "My wake up call was refreshing as having Beethoven's _Ode to Joy_ theme played loudly and obnoxiously at the front of my house."

"Whoa, take it easy," I said evenly, gesturing my hands to keep him calm. I never thought that Itsuki would have a bad day, if you count waking up in the future as one. But then again, I always thought of him as an unflappable with that grating Stepford grin.

He sighed, which sounded heavy. "It's not at you, Kyon." He composed himself. "Earlier this morning, I saw from my window a near-futuristic landscape."

He gestured to the window. I got up to see it and I was awestruck. Outside I saw a visual treat for the eyes. Japan of this future. It was the probably the most beautiful thing I've ever saw. The streets were clean, most of the vehicles outside were of sleek new designs. The buildings were breathtakingly marvelous, must have been designed by somebody who thought out of the box and resulted in masterpieces that are both handsome and never eyesores in the whole picture.

Seeing it with my eyes I felt like watching something that could best resemble a Japanese-French film production.

Everything looked... cleaner... smoother. I rubbed my eyes. Was I dreaming?

My jaw dropped and a hand push it back in place. I turned to see it was Nagato who did it.

Koizumi gestured us back to our seats. As soon as we're all seated, he ask in a tone of genial curiosity, "So you, Kyon? What do you think?"

The future shock revealed itself in my voice with a rapid reply, "I feel I just jumped into _Ghost In The Shell_ with Luc Besson!"

Itsuki chuckled lightly. _What's so funny, you prick?_ my mind snarled. How could he laugh when time has shifted drastically while we slept, caused most likely by our Dear Beloved Leader no less!

"Sorry, Kyon," he apologized. "I never thought I'd see you so startled by these turn of events."

No kidding, I'm a fish out of water in this one yet again.

"Well, back to business," he said. "I'm aware that you received my message last night."

"Yeah, does that mean you knew this was going to happen?" I asked.

"Not really," he replied, looking a little puzzled. "I was only informed of a new development on some closed spaces as well as some other anomalies. I was thinking that the other espers would take care of that."

"But apparently they didn't," I replied dryly.

"Well, we espers have to sleep, you know."

"So, how bad was it?"

"Well, let's start from the begnning," he said.

Here we go, I thought with a sigh.

"This morning," he began, "I woke up at my usual time, five o'clock. The very first thing that I saw was a different skyline, having the same reaction that you have."

"I see," I noted. That's why you chuckled.

"Well, not everyday you get to wake up in the future."

"Yeah," I agreed. "So let's skip the chitchat about your vista to the future. I'd hate to spoil my interest in this period."

"Certainly, Kyon. After my first taste of future Japan, I noticed immediately that I woke up a bed not my own."

A smile formed on my face when I heard it. "So? Did you share the bed with someone else?" Nothing like an embarrassing morning to start the day.

Itsuki grimaced. "As a matter of fact, Kyon, thankfully no," he replied. "It was rather fortunate that the owner in question was taking a bath at around the time I woke up. It was rather alarming enough for me to wake up, see the clock had advanced a decade or so, and find all my belongings completely missing."

"Must have been quite a shocker there, Koizumi," I replied sincerely.

His eyes narrowed with displeasure. "He is a male model for an agency, I would like to add."

I tried my hardest not smile, not to show a wee bit of emotion on my face and posture. I never knew Itsuki would have a bad day, but this? For some reason I feel Haruhi granted my unconscious wish of schadenfreude on Koizumi.

"I believe Itsuki was startled to find a member of the same sex had slept in his bed, Kyon," Nagato monotoned. Thanks a lot, Nagato, for the punch line. Now I can't push away the cascade of images of Itsuki and said unknown male model together, some of which were scandalously compromising. If I was with Taniguchi I'd laugh my ass off with him right now, ribbling him with that story of Itsuki's bad wake up call.

It took several seconds of silence around the room. "Kyon," he said seriously. "If you're done with thinking about me in a low manner, I would like to get this discussion moving."

"Oh!" I suddenly exclaimed. "Sorry, Itsuki." Damn, I got sidetracked by the Ralf Konig show with special guest Itsuki on my mind and been found out. At first I feel he read my mind, but esper or not, he can see through me about how I think his day today was like.

Itsuki continued, "So after frantically searching my now nonexistent possessions, I've had to make haste. Needless to say I had a messy getaway."

I imagined how it was like for Itsuki then: after basking in the sight of future(current as of now) Japan he proceeded to ransack his erstwhile apartment for his belongings, failing that, he proceeded to escape from it when the racket he made disturbed the tenant enough to make him investigate the premises or he was spotted and that made our esper boy flee for his life, in perhaps within view of someone walking in the hallway to get the morning paper.

No. I won't ask Itsuki to describe his experience then. It's embarrassing enough for him already without me poking him with questions. Man talk about baring oneself as of now.

"So what happened after you got out?" I asked.

"I was a little disoriented when I got out," he replied. "Time travel is something that's definitely beyond my pay grade, as the American intelligence community often says, so the moment I found myself in the streets heavily immersed with technology, hell, even the cellphone I 'acquired' for use from my host could not activate unless I put my thumb in the touch screen for verification."

"Really?" Cellphones with touch screens with fingerprint scanners? This is definitely a sci-fi anime moment with a little dosage of Frenchness on the side. I wonder why the words 'French and 'sci-fi' go together in my mind.

"I'm not kidding, Kyon. Fortunately, I know how to deal with situations like that so I did standard operating procedure. I called my superiors."

"Itsuki, that doesn't sound like the right thing to do." Itsuki, you're wading into Bourne Identity territory over there. You know? Spy fails mission, amnesia optional, his bosses try to take him down one way or the other?

"It's exactly what I did. But you know what's surprising was the reply I received from the night duty officer. He really was shocked when I identified myself to him."

"Like a voice from the dead?" I asked.

"Exactly."

* * *

><p>Itsuki Koizumi barely took a few articles of street clothes plus some other items from the occupant of what used to his apartment room as he dashed madly out the building. The current tenant shocked him into running as he came out of the bathroom to investigate the commotion that was Itsuki's ransacking.<p>

And lo and behold, Itsuki got busted and ran off like a whipped dog as the shocked and outraged tenant alerted the landlord via intercom. He may have phoned the police as well. Running down the stairs frantically nonstop and then dashing out the front door was what probably saved him from a patrolling police car. Any second later and he would have ended up in the brig, perhaps the funny farm after a few months of interrogation and court hearings.

By the time he found a safe place to hide, his lungs burned fiercely and his heart was wildly beating away like a premature burial victim pounding against the sides of the coffin for life. His body ached all over as he was taking large mouthfuls of air. In the bushes in the park, the cold air stung his bare torso, causing him to shiver. He immediately began to put on his purloined clothes.

He sat his back against the crook of a tree, thanking the habit of putting himself in excellent physical condition, a habit inculcated into him by his training with the Agency. He looked up the sky, which was white with thick fleecy clouds. He turned his eyes to the top of buildings jutting out in the skyline. So many skyscrapers of the likes he never seen before, he noted.

He had no time to take in the sights. He needed to know what hell's going one right now. After a few minutes of rest he stood up and stretched his body. He looked at the cellphone. It looked like an iPhone. He turned it on and it chimed a jingle.

"KONICHAWA," it chimed, "PLEASE PLACE YOUR THUMBPRINT ON THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER FOR VERIFICATION." On the LCD screen a box the size of a mail stamp appeared at the lower right corner of the screen with a thumbprint flashing in red, the caption read PLEASE ENTER THUMBPRINT. Itsuki blinked his eyes twice. Then he pinched himself twice on the cheek to see if he's not dreaming. He could not believe that he held a cellphone equipped with biometric scanner, in this case, a thumbprint recognition lock.

Curious, Itsuki wondered if he should put his thumb in the box or not. For the most part, he's against it for the simple reason that it won't work. The other one suggested it as merely moment to pass a few seconds of idle curiosity. He pressed it and it made a short chirp.

"THUMBPRINT VERIFIED," it said, "UNAUTHORIZED USER ATTEMPTING TO ACCESS PHONE. IDENTITY UNKNOWN. POSSIBLE THEFT, ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT EMERGENCY POLICE HOTLINE."

"What!?" Itsuki instantly dropped the phone as the cellphone's screen immediately flashed a loading sign with the emergency police hotline captioned above.

"CONTACT ESTABLISHED," it sang again in its digitized voice and a dial tone rang. Itsuki bolted away out of the bushes before he could find out what's next, seeing that running away from a tattletale phone was much more prudent than standing there like an idiot and waiting for the police.

His feet felt the cold dewy wetness of the grass, like spongy moss carpet. He finally made it to another copse of woods were he put on the stolen clothes, which consisted of black rubber shoes, jeans, a black t-shirty and brown jacket, all designer brands. He got rid of his own pair of pants and quickly changed. Finished, he took his old pair of pants and proceeded to find a place to dispose it. He came across a blacktop lane and throw the pants into a nearby trashcan. He scanned his environs to see if anyone saw him. All he found were a few joggers and cyclists. He watched them for a few seconds before he judged that they've not spotted him walking out of the brush. He stayed where he was, waiting for them to pass. When they finally passed a respectable distance, he began to walk the opposite direction, thinking of a way contact the Agency.

Emerging from the park he joined the early-morning rush hour crowd. By instinct he began to observe the environment around him as he strolled. Things have changed in this time period rather significantly today but not so much as to be beyond recognition. The city of Nishinomiya had sky-scrapers but never for the life of him had they grew tall and numerous. Also they were quite different from any skyscrapers he knew. They were tall symmetrical structures that reached into the sky like broad fingers of hands receiving a blessing from the heavens.

He observed the crowd around him. They weren't so much different from his timeline though the clothes being worn were like an advancement in contemporary fashion back seventeen years ago. On the streets were cars and trucks with sleek designs, at least most of them. Not too radical in appearance and certainly didn't look dated either. Up in the buildings were advertisements on holograms, featuring everything from cosmetics to canned tuna; to cola and whiskey to restaurant reservations. They project three-dimensional images of amazing clarity. For instance, a doctor was discussing the virtues of the latest toothpaste. He didn't look like a semi-transparent image, he looked like he was on a stage addressing the crowd below. The pristine white office set he was in looked like it was cut directly from the studio that filmed it and transplanted directly to the holographic display, figuratively teleporting him to the outside world. Next to him was an ad for a brand of corned beef, demonstrated by the housewife as she showed how to cook a simple recipe as if it was a cooking show in live-action. Itsuki blinked his eyes in bewilderment. How far technology had changed in this timeline.

"Excuse me, sir," a woman called out to him, prompting him to face her away from the ads.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Do you know where Kouyounen High is?"

"Uh, yes," Itsuki replied. She then gave her directions to it. He then asked why she inquired.

"I have a relative schooling there," she answered. "I have a gift to deliver."

"Oh, I see." Then Istuki thought of something. "Excuse me, ma'am, is there a phone booth nearby?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Why do you ask? Phone booths are phased seven years ago."

"Huh?" His eyes raised in bewilderment.

"You're surprised, huh?" She chuckled. "You didn't know phone booths are gone, do you?"

"Uh, yes, I'm from upcountry," Itsuki replied. "Hokkaido."

"Apparently, wherever that part of Hokkaido you are from still uses phone booths."

"That's correct."

"Well, in that case, I think you can use an internet kiosk. In here you can find any. Just ask around."

"Ah, thank you, ma'am" Itsuki chimed gratefully. "You're a great help."

"Ah, it's nothing." She smiled and gave him a friendly wave before walking off.

Itsuki did as the woman told her and soon enough was rewarded with directions to a nearby internet kiosk. He thought about how far technology became widespread in this era from the time he was from. Back then internet kiosks were only found in public buildings like airports. Now they've all but replaced phone booths. He found one with its most recent user just about finished. He approached and activated the touchscreen.

"GOOD MORNING," a message flashed on screen. "YOU ARE USING A NIPPON TELECOM INTERNET KIOSK. BEFORE USE, PLEASE SELECT THE MODE OF PAYMENT FOR COMPENSATION OF SERVICES."

The screen then flashed three options:

*****COINAGE/BILLS

*****CARD

*****COLLECT CALL

Itsuki choose the third option, since he didn't bother to take anything in the way of money from his unwitting host. He then selected the his account in a branch of the Kyoto Bank for which to pay for his services. He was relieved to know that his account was still named under one of his alias. It contained all he needed in case for emergencies in the field. After requesting a wire transfer for both use of the kiosks and the rest, he then typed and entered a number, one used to contact the Agency by all field agents.

The internet kiosk produced a receiver from the side, prompting him to take to ears. A video screen appeared, showing a sophisticated plaza of a vast corporate building. It was an ad for the particular organization he which to call. "Good morning and thank you for calling Ichihara Consultancy, one of the world's leading international consultancies, specializing in multidisciplinary advisory work, assessment and analysis. If you will state the particular service you requested, we will connect you to the proper representative in our twenty-four hour service department." Ichihara Consultancy was one of the Agency's front companies. Under the guise of a think-tank-for-hire, it immensely helped with its intelligence gathering and special actions activities worldwide. He hoped nothing changed for him.

Several options flashed in the screen. They range from finance to management. On the bottom of the list was an option labelled OTHER. He selected it and the a dial tone chimed for a few seconds.

"Hello, welcome to Ichihara Consultancy. How may I help you?" An operator said. Itsuki knew exactly what to do. Each operative has unique phrase that identifies him or her to the operator, usually the security officer in the form of a particular business proposal or request, in a carefully-worded phrase to distinguish it from all the clutter the company receives. After that he or she must answer a series of questions, each predetermined answer can mean something only between him or her and the operator.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm interested in your company's work. Do you specialize in agri-economic policy?"

"Yes," he replied. "We do. What particular specialization?"

"Potential for large-scale biofuel production."

"Ah yes, We'll patch you up right now to our agricultural department."

There was a beep, and then a dial tone. "Hello, who is this?" Finally, a voice different from the operator, which meant that he's on the secure line. It must be the communications liaison, who was usually privy to all the agents' identities and special communications protocols, which meant their code names and means of identification.

"This is Itsuki Koizumi," he replied. "Code name Reynaud; identification phrase, 'Because you cannot see him, God is everywhere.' Let me speak with Pegasus." That was the code name to the Agency's director of operations.

There was brief pause. No doubt he was verifying that phrases and names. "Itsuki Koizumi? Pegasus? Are you sure?"

"Yes," he replied, sounding a bit more eager. "My clearance is Delta Five-Zero-One-Three." Itsuki, due to his seniority which was rapidly earned while on assignment on Haruhi, was given a high enough clearance for talking with Agency brass.

There was pregnant pause. Itsuki thought of the worst as he waited for a reply. "I'm sorry, sir," he replied. "Pegasus retired about eleven years ago. He was replaced by Osiris. You were there when during the appointment ceremony."

His eyes dilated in worry. Pegasus retired? And who is this Osiris? His knuckles whitened around the receiver. He held his breath as he waited for the answer.

* * *

><p>"After that phone call, they told me to rendezvous at the cafe by the train station. They sent an armed squad for me."<p>

My eyes up went up. "What? How come?"

Itsuki sighed for a while, almost like he was sucking air from a wound. He then whispered to my ear. "Between you and me, I was dead for six years."

Somehow I wasn't surprised. Maybe because of my earlier comment of him being a voice from the dead. Yet, it bothered me in a way. A terrible chilling way.

"They interrogated me strenuously, trying to verify my identity, checking what I know against what I was suppose to know. They simply can't believe that a younger version of me just contacted them out of the blue."

"Well, they never expected a dead man to call them back," I commented. Then I added, "If it wasn't too much for you, how did you..."

"My demise? I was missing, presumed dead when I supposedly didn't communicate for too long. Don't ask for the details."

Yeah, thanks for the advise, Itsuki, I was tempted to ask about what he meant by "strenuous interrogation", mainly out of curiosity although thankfully I decided not to ask, feeling the details are best left unsaid. I don't if I want to know. "Okay, I think it's good for you to be back, Itsuki."

"Thanks, Kyon."

"By the way, how did this happen?" I asked. "How does Haruhi have to do with this? I mean she had us looking for ghosts yesterday, eh, seventeen years ago - whichever it is, I don't care. I wanna know why are we in the future."

"Our recent intelligence on this are quite scant on this but while we do know that Haruhi is responsible for this, she may not the cause for this."

"I see," I replied, feeling that creeping feeling along my shoulder. "But how?"

Itsuki paused, putting himself in his patented thinking pose with a sigh. After a few seconds, he said to me, "Okay, Kyon. What I'm about to tell you is classified information with clearance beyond top-secret. The Agency feels that you need to know." He got up from his seat and walked to his school bag. He then picked up a red folder from it. It had a snap closure and the edges where bordered with white tape. A simple white paper label bearing the words EYES ONLY Δ and PROVENANCE. It was held together with a fastener. He gently laid the folder on before me. I felt rather intimidated by this folder, like it was a book of arcane knowledge that could drive people insane from just reading it.

"Go ahead, Kyon. Read it," he urged me. My hand followed his command without much effort on my own. Lifting the folder open, I saw what seemed like a photo taken from above the ground, no doubt satellites. I've seen enough movies to know what a satellite photo is. On it was large stretch of what look like urban industrial area. In it is a description of the place in the photo.

FILE NAME: B-164 AUBURN DISTRICT  
>FILE CONTENTS:<br>The Auburn District is a large urban industrial area located within the city of Fairport, Washington State. Most of the Auburn District is owned by the Armacham Technology Corporation[ATC]. Expansion in the Auburn District began when ATC, then known as Fairport Steel Works purchased the Rammelmeier Industrial Compound from U.S. government. Soon after Armacham was officially founded in 1964 that development in the Auburn District was expanded greatly with the construction and operation of production and R&D facilities. The district became the economic powerhouse of the city with Armacham eventually dominating it, in effect pushing out competition and expanding within the city itself, with only oceanic trade being the second primary source of income. Economic downturn caused by recession and oil crises during the 70's pushed the company to close down several factories. This, accompanied with the turbulent socio-political climate of the time, provoked violent riots, severity of which was enough to call in the Washington National Guard to restore order from time to time. Research and development facilities kept functioning, first major undertaking code-named Project Icarus. Objective:[DATA EXPUNGED]. Economic revival began anew during the 1980's, struggling to compete with Japanese economic strength of that time, with Armacham fending off the acquisition of Auburn District assets from several large Japanese corporations. Nineties saw the smashing of the economic miracle with the end of the Cold War, decreasing military spending. Armacham focused on mainly on research and development, mostly on military contract. The War on Terror did not bring about economic growth as expected and thus much of the Auburn District remains economically-depressed to this day.

STATUS: Interest began peripherally when residents of the Auburn District began to complain of headaches and nausea, causing people to vacate the area during 2005 to 2006. At first it was believed to be water contamination but latent energy signatures have been detected in 2007. Several operating assets have been dispatched to investigate the district. Initial findings have turned up with substantial results but first teams returning have developed a wide array of mental instabilities, ranging from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder to catatonia, hallucinations, and psychosis, forcing temporary suspension of all Agency activity in the area, which was resumed during [DATA REDACTED]. Further evidence revealed the cause of this to be an esper of significant potential.

That's where the note ended. Most of the rest are blacked-out lines.

"Turn to the next page, Kyon," he suggested. "I'm sorry that we didn't have time to edit it properly. Expect more blacked-out sentences. They are old files by the way."

I opened the next page to see another file. As promised there were blacked-out lines. I asked him, "If you're telling me this, why the hell did you even bother to edit it?"

"You're on a need-to-know basis, Kyon," he replied thoughtfully. "At the moment, some of the information is too sensitive for your eyes."

On this file is about Armacham itself. It started out as the Fairport Steel Works. The company was founded in in 1894, building huge steel mills in what would become the Auburn District. It's first contract for the U.S. government came during the turn of the century when it received a contract to produce naval and fortification guns and ship armor plating from its foundries but no contract to build ships due to intense lobbying from the major shipbuilders at that time, thus keeping Fairport from developing a shipbuilding industry of its own. The First World War accelerated the company's growth and so as the city's. The Great Depression of 1929 forced the company to cut down its size, lay off thousands of workers and sell away most of the Aubrun District. At 1934 company management changed hands with a Harvard graduate named Richard White-Hayes, who gradually bought back the company's assets and formed a merger with automobile manufacturer Hammond Motor Company. The newly-revived company received major contracts again when America began to rearm its military as well as supply the Allies via Lend-Lease. It recently acquired a drug company, Robertson Medical, and had it geared towards the production of sulfanilamide, penicillin, Atabrine, and medical painkillers. The entry of America into the war saw Fairport Steel manufacturing tanks, trucks, weapons, etc, plus opening an aerospace division, Fairport Aircraft, to assemble licensed copies of current military aircraft.

The end of the war had put Fairport Steel as one of the top-grossing companies of America. Then during the fifties saw it buy the Rammelmeier Industrial Compound from the government, after a protracted sale negotiation. It was used to acquire [DATA EXPUNGED]. The company was renamed Armacham in 1964, fully merged with its acquired companies. First major contracts are mainly aircraft and and missiles as well as their associated computer systems. They were also involved with NASA space-faring ventures, providing conceptual designs for space-craft, astronaut equipment and computers.

The third part of the Armacham file came up, mostly blacked-out lines. From what I can read, it had to do with mostly phrases like "Mental faculties of the human brain", "... Combat attempts by the Soviet Union to exploit such a potential resource", "Accelerate study for feasibility of potential use of extra-sensory perception and related activities..", "Research program set up in the Ukraine..." "Performing research with questionable ethics". I stopped reading from there.

Then I turned to the next page. I read the title aloud, "First Encounter Assault Recon." In it's acronym form, FEAR. How catchy.

The first paragraph of this file stated with blunt honesty that much of the data in this file is mere speculation than fact as the unit, if it ever existed, almost never had any sort of paper trail to trace it. It was formed during 2002, after the tragedy of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan was already underway. Although most of it was blacked-out, the first missions of this FEAR unit was to scour many abandoned Soviet-era research centers in Siberia and the former republics for leftovers of the many top-secret programs involving a number of exotic concepts involving the human mind, genetic engineering, theoretical physics; recovery of stolen or lost technology; and the investigation of strange physical phenomena. A lot of their missions are naturally classified. They became the talk of only the highest circles of the defense and intelligence communities around the world. It's from this talk that their existence is inferred to. Some of their alleged operations are often attributed to other special forces units, intelligence services, regional military or non-state third parties. I'm guessing greedy corporations or terrorists.

Suddenly, a chill went down my spine as I thought about how this 'FEAR' unit might have something to do with Armacham. Reading this again, I thought of the phrase _recovery of lost and stolen technolog_y might have something to do with them. Read between the lines and you'll get my drift.

I turned to Itsuki and handed him back the file. He asked me, "What do you think, Kyon?"

It took me a few seconds for my mind to wrap around the information that was given to me, information too incredible to believe. Some of this stuff is certainly something out of a videogame or an anime but to be privy to this stuff, however abridged and edited, is something that is to be taken lightly. The shock was just like alcohol slowly seeping into my body for a glass of Scotch. "Unbelievable," I muttered. I turned to him. "How does this have to do with Haruhi? And us."

He frowned. "They won't tell me, I'm not cleared high enough to know the whole thing right now." He looked at me in a way that said that he honestly didn't know and that he can't say anymore that he has to. "But here's what I think: whatever it is, Haruhi may be in danger."

"What!" I exclaimed, sounding almost like a girl.

"I'm not joking, Kyon," he said gravely. "Some of the files we've dug up from Armacham made references to Nishinomiya much more recently, some of them even mentioning our high school, which may mean that they have significant interest in Haruhi. I have know idea how or if they're actually threatening Haruhi but all I know is that Haruhi is in clear and present danger."

I nodded vigorously. Then I shook my head as if regretting it. "No... No way. How could they know about Haruhi? It's impossible. Even she doesn't believe herself to capable of such power."

"Yeah, that's what's fishy," he replied. "How did Armacham know about her? Regardless, that question won't be answered in a while until we know what we're up against."

I asked him, "If that's the case, besides trying to figure it if this Armacham outfit really out for or not, will you give me some protection? You're the Agency, after all."

"I can't give you any promises, Kyon," he replied sadly. "But we'll try to figure a way keep an eye on you without giving ourselves away to Haruhi. In the mean time, watch your back and keep Haruhi safe-"

The door burst open loudly. The sound sent me in an about face, expecting to black-suited Armacham goons with guns raised to shoot us. But thankfully for us, it was just Haruhi. Her eyes beamed brightly, so full of energy in what would have been a dreary day of talking about a threat to her life. That rambunctious smile put me at ease, eliciting a "phew" from my lips.

"Hey, guys!" she cried cheerily. "I'm back!"

"Good afternoon, Haruhi," Itsuki greeted cordially.

"Good afternoon," Nagato monotoned.

Like a sergeant in command of a machine-gun squad, she planted her feet wide on the floor and her hands flamboyantly on her hips. "It's official! No one has seen Mikuru in the school grounds anywhere since this morning. That means she's really absent."

"Ah, yes, that's true," I replied weakly, slightly trembling, and with a little shame in face in trying to mask what I really know, the info I got from Itsuki which indicated that she, Haruhi, might be in trouble.

He looked at me curiously. "Kyon, you looked like you seen a ghost?"

"No, Haruhi," I replied.

She then gave me jaundiced eye, arms crossed. "Kyon... Are you hiding something behind my back?"

"No! I did not," I exclaimed excitedly.

Haruhi then let out satisfied smile. "Good, Kyon." Then she went back to her stormtrooper pose. "Okay. As you all know, Mikuru has not reported to class or the club for the whole. That means Mikuru might have been missing. As of this moment, I'm starting the SOS Brigade's latest mission: the investigation of the disappearance of Mikuru Asahina!"

"Haruhi, I think you're going a little overboard," I refuted. "Mikuru simply had a-"

"The mission begins today!" she announced, clearly not wanting to listen to any rational explanation that I might provide for the sake of adventure. "Synchronize watches!"

Haruhi, none of us wear watches.

After that she grabbed her bag and went out the door. She called out, "Hurry, guys. I will not tolerate tardiness." Passing buy other students, who seemed either oblivious or slightly surprised by her.

"Let's go, Kyon," Itsuki chimed. "Let's not face the wrath of a lady in waiting." Good advice. We hurriedly got up, arranged everything and grabbed our things. I locked the door behind us, walking hurriedly down the hall to catch up with the unbound goddess.

I was alongside Yuki as we hurried up. I said to her, "Yuki, you got something to explain to me. How does Haruhi not notice that we're in 2027?"

"I created a data jurisdiction that filters Haruhi's perception of the environment around her," she explained in a emotionless way. "I would explain once I meet my counterpart."

"You have one?" I said in surprise.

"Yes."

I heard a beeping sound. I looked at Itsuki picking up his cellphone. He said, "Excuse me, guys. I've got to take this call. Tell Haruhi that I'll meet up in the cafe."

I gave me word as Itsuki departed from us to the bathroom while we catch up for her.

Itsuki Koizumi entered the boys' bathroom. He looked around to see that no one was around to use it. The cubicles were empty and it looked like it just had been recently cleaned. He could smell the scent of cleaner in it. His shoes left faint footprints on the drying floor. He took the cellphone, activated it by his thumbprint and put it on talk.

* * *

><p>"This is Reynaud," he spoke. "I gave Kyon the necessary information concerning our current situation."<p>

"Very well, Reynaud," his caller replied.

"But I believe it's imperative that we inform Kyon further of this matter. Of course we have to only give him what we deem is needed for him to know."

"I agree. On the other hand, we have problems with operational security, we need to share this information discreetly."

"I understand but when will you authorize me? Armacham is a clear and imminent danger to Haruhi. I believe he has a right to know more."

"Yes, it's true. Unfortunately, our current situation doesn't allow us to do anymore than what. Our resources have been spread thin. We're pushing everyone and everything to the limit. With the situation in Fairport deteriorating rapidly and our own problems mounting here, we don't have the luxury of being careless."

"I performed the procedure for Top Brass. I believe that confirms our suspicions of Armacham," Itsuki said vehemently.

The caller answered him, "Yes, we know that no one else can pull off that sort of stunt. We will allow all the resources we can spare." Then he added coldly, "You must remember that you're on a short leash, Itsuki, if that's what you really are. We've had operations go wrong with poor or incorrect intelligence, we've had agents compromised in the field and had penetration before. You're only with us because you have the director's sanction and that stunt. But you are still subordinate to me."

"Yes, sir," the esper answered slowly, his knuckles whitened around the phone.

"I've been around in the organization since its founding just like you but I've promoted much faster since your supposed demise. Now, if that's a source of tension for you, I don't give a shit. We're professionals and this is still an agency of professionals. You better act like one."

"Yes, sir."

"Continue your mission, we'll update you on a need-to-know basis. Dismissed." The caller hang up.

Itsuki's eyes narrowed as he pocketed the phone. He breathed to himself. "Yes, sir... You sonofabitch."

* * *

><p>I hope you liked this chapter. I've been on a hiatus on this for quite sometime. I've typed this story as best as I could so please feel free to point errors and criticize. I've had a hard time trying to decide which info is allowed so I don't put a lot of spoilers. I've been reading a number of spy novels and recently read Stephen King's <em>Dreamcatcher<em>. And _Disappearance_ is a great movie which I've enjoyed a lot. The internet kiosk was a very good idea, especially the thought that it could replace phone booths in the near future. As for some of the lore of FEAR, I've done some original ideas such Fairport's pre-1950 history, the Richard White-Hayes, and a little background of FEAR.

Ralf Konig, by the way, is one of the best known and commercially successful comic book creators in Germany. Some of his works are humor involving homosexuality(I'm not gay myself!) and his books are translated into many languages and he has many fans among heterosexual readers.

Here's to you Haruhi fans. Thank you for reading.


End file.
